The US Navy intercepted a barrage of Houthi missiles and drones launched at three of its warships in the Red Sea on Thursday, US defense officials said.
The attack was one of the largest yet on US warships in the Middle East, one official told CNN.
“We did see a complex attack launched from the Houthis that ranged from cruise missiles and [drones],” deputy Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said during a briefing.
“My understanding is that those were either engaged and shot down or failed.”
No US warships were damaged or struck in the assault, nor were any American servicemembers injured, she added.
The barrage was launched at the USS Spruance and USS Stockdale — both guided missile destroyers — and the USS Indianapolis, a littoral combat ship, as they traveled north of the Bab el-Mandeb strait.
A US Navy warship. USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74)
Houthi supporters raise a Lebanese flag during an anti-Israel and anti-US rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. APThe crucial waterway connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The US ships were targeted “while they were en route to support and assist the Israeli enemy,” Houthi army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yehya Saree claimed.
The Houthi navy, air force and missile force launched 23 projectiles, including ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones, the spokesperson for the Iranian-backed rebels said.
Saree said the operation made “direct hits,” a claim Singh rejected, adding that it was unclear if the warships were the intended targets.
“Sometimes it’s hard to tell whether they’re being shot in the vicinity of a US ship or targeting another vessel. We always take measures for our self-defense, so I can’t really tell you the intended target,” she explained.
“We did what we had to do to protect our forces, and at the end of the day, no ship was hit, no damage, and no injuries to our personnel.”
The Houthis of Yemen have carried out a series of strikes on US warships and commercial vessels in the Red Sea since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip last year.
In December, the USS Carney shot down 14 Houthi drones that were targeting the guided-missile destroyer.
When the Carney returned to port months later, the chief claimed that the vessel carried out more enemy engagements than any other ship since World War II.
In February, a Houthi cruise missile got within just one mile of the USS Gravely destroyer.
The Graveley was forced to use its “last line of defense, “ the Gatling gun, to ward off the incursion.
Last week, the Houthis fired a missile into central Israel — prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to warn that Israel would “exact a heavy price” from the Yemeni rebels.
The strike reportedly caused travelers at Ben Gurion International Airport to race to shelters for protection.
Air raid sirens also sounded in Tel Aviv and surrounding areas.
